SPOTTED: Prototype AP Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Skeleton Tourbillon in STAINLESS STEEL - Monochrome Watches
Admit it, we all do it. Trying to find out what other people have strapped to their wrist while we are on the go, or at a party of some sort. Oogling, if you will. Perhaps the place to be oogling ones wrist, without coming across like a total creep, is a watch fair! During the recent storm of novelties coming out of the SIHH, we spotted a very special one-off: a Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Skeleton Tourbillon. STEEL PROTOTYPE!Obviously, the Royal Oak family needs no introduction, but we'll run down the important bits nonetheless. Ever since the first model(ref. 5402ST), designed by Gerald Genta back in 1972, the Royal Oak has become synonymous with Audemars Piguet. It is the quintessential watch that saved the brand from bankruptcy. Its instantly recognizable shape, the octagonal bezel with hexagonal screws, the visible gasket in between, the often portrayed grande or petit tapisserie decoration on the dial and the iconic metal bracelet are just a few touches that have g

Breguet Marine Alarme Musicale 5547 (Specs & Price)
If Breguet is renowned?for its Classique collection and its pilot's watch range (Type XX and others), the catalogue also comprises another important collection named La Marine. Not only does it represents the sport(ier) side of the brand - don't expect bold Hublotesque touches, we're at Breguet - but it is also a link to a lesser-known aspect of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s history, when he was the Horloger de la Marine', the official supplier of chronometers to France’s Navy. As the new collection?is now available, we look back at this third generation, with the rather original Breguet La Marine Alarme Musicale 5547.Horloger de la MarineBreguet and marine chronometry are a long story. As early as 1812, Abraham-Louis Breguet sold two marine chronometers to the observatory of Florence. In 1814, he was appointed to the Board of Longitude. During the French Restauration, following the fall of Napoleon, Breguet was appointed as the official watchmaker of the French Royal Navy in 181

Tissot Heritage Porto Mechanical - Hands-On Review, Price
Tissot's Heritage collection is full of classic throwbacks. Drawing upon a heritage that spans over 165 years,? suffice it to say that the Le Locle-based watchmaker knows exactly what it's doing when it comes to creating retro-inspired timepieces that nod to a bygone era. Towards the end of last year, MONOCHROME covered the Tissot Heritage Visodate Automatic, a value-for-money 1950s dress watch,? and a little before that, the vintage-looking Tissot Heritage Petite Seconde watch based on a former model from 1943. This time around, we look at something even older, slightly unusual and from an era rarely covered by vintage-inspired watches, the Tissot Heritage Porto Mechanical, an elegant and fairly-priced tonneau-shaped design influenced by the Art Nouveau period.?Firstly, the Tissot Heritage Porto watch comes in a mechanical version crafted from either steel or 18k rose gold, or a steel quartz version with a simpler dial that foregoes the small seconds sub-dial – a feature that is

Hands-On - The Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle (Specs & Price)
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, the term razzle-dazzle is used to describe “(confusion caused by) noisy and noticeable activity or very colourful appearance, intended to attract attention“. Eliminating the adjective ‘colourful’ from the dictionary description, it seems to be a fair description of the dizzying black and white geometric patterns donned on the latest Freak X. To be more precise, the zigzagging pattern pays homage to a camouflage technique known as ‘dazzle’ adopted by British ships painted with crisscrossing likes to confuse the enemy and make it hard for German U-boats to estimate the range, speed and direction of the ship. Similar to Op art, a style of optical art popular in the 1960s that used abstract geometric shapes to create optical illusions, the razzle-dazzle painting on British ships proved extremely effective and saved many lives. It also fits very nicely with Ulysse Nardin's longstanding tradition of providing

Pre-Baselworld 2019 - Anonimo Nautilo Vintage - More Retro-Styled and Smaller (Specs & Price)
A brand built on the ashes of the Italian branch of Panerai, founded by a naval engineer and former head of the aforementioned watchmaker, is obligated to have a dive watch in the collection. For over 12 years now, the Nautilo has been part of the Anonimo line-up, interpreted in various guises - see here,?here or here. New for 2019 and launched as a preview to Baselworld is a more retro – or vintage-inspired – take on its cool Nautilo, with the Anonimo Nautilo Vintage. And good news for a lot of people: it's smaller!At first glance, there is not much new going on here, other than a change in design. You still get the trademark cushion-shaped case and the crown at 4 to prevent it from digging into your wrist. However, there are some (positive) novelties, such as the reduced diameter, a slightly softer appearance and the vintage or retro inspiration of the watch. Ad - Scroll to continue with article